OPINIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FRENCH CGLPL • of such festivals, and when the latter are held, the authorities should provide the necessary facilities (food, desired menus, various objects, etc.), under the responsibility of chaplains. No one denomination may claim exclusive use of rooms of this nature (however, to the extent possible, this stipulation does not apply to chaplains’ offices). 9/ Spiritual guidance may also include various events such as discussion groups, meetings held for thinking or festive purposes linked to the religious calendar, choir performances, etc. The only grounds, duly established, on which those in charge may object to the holding of such events, are that of maintaining good order or the fact that the premises are unsuitable. 10/ Spiritual guidance also implies that anyone requesting this, even if they are unable to move (because they are ill and confined to bed or held in detention, for example) should be entitled to receive a visit from a chaplain. Consequently, chaplains should be authorised to move around as they wish, within areas where persons held in custody are accommodated; they should be able to hold personal discussions with such persons and have the material resources for this purpose placed at their disposal; finally their relationships with the persons they visit, including any correspondence, should be protected from intrusion by third parties. 11/ The presence of persons deprived of their liberty at services or other communal events requires that the authorities draw up lists of names, indicating people’s denomination. The necessary authorisations required under the data protection laws must be obtained. Staff must also maintain the necessary confidentiality associated with this data. The lists should be carefully updated, based on the information provided by chaplains and events that have occurred (transfers, etc.), so that, in contrast to too many current practices, there are no substantial lead-times, and therefore delays, in the arrival of persons held in custody at such events. Finally, the authorities cannot use the fact that a person is registered on the list relating to a particular religion as grounds for declining a request on the part of this person to attend worship organised by another religion, if he or she so wishes. 12/ Today, as elsewhere in society, custodial establishments are characterised by the co-existence of various denominations, and 92

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